Slate-picking apparatus.



P. H. EME-RY.

SLATE PIGKING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. 1909.

969,048. i Patented Aug. 30, 1910.

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I. H. BMERY.

SLATE PIGKING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAB. 1i, 1909.

Patented Aug.3o,1910.

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FREDERICK I-I. EMERY, QF SCYRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

SLATE-PICKING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 11, V1909.

Patented Aug. 30, 1910.

serial No. 482,778.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. EMERY, citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Slate- Picking Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention has to do with slate picking apparatus-z'. e., apparatus for picking or separating slate from coal with which the same is associated, with a view of enhancing the market value of the coal or for feeding coal chutes.

Experiments have demonstrated lthe fact that slate may be better picked or separated from moving coal when the coal is made to slide, as contradistinguished from rolling;

and the general object of my said present inf vention is to provide in an apparatus foi picking or separating slate from coal, means for eliiciently checking the commingled coal and slate precedent to the passage of tliev same to the opening or openings through which it is intended that the slate shall drop, this in order to assure all of the pieces sliding as they approach the opening or open-I ings and in that way render certain the separation of all particles of slate from lthel particles of coal.

Other objects and novel and advantageous characteristics contemplated by my present invention will be fully comprehended from the following detailed description and ap pended claims when the same vare read in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a slate picklng apparatus constructed in accordance with E my invention and constituting the best practical embodiment of the same that I have, up to this time, devised. Fig. 2 is a `vertical, longitudinal sect-ion of a part vof the apparatus, showing one of the checking devices. Fig. 3 is a detail cross-section thereof, and Fig. 4, a detail plan view thereof.

Similar letters o-f reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

I prefer in putting my invention into effect to employ a plurality of chutes relatively arranged in an inclined series as illustrated, and I also prefer to have each chute comprise side walls a, a vertically-movable a retarding or separating slab c, of slate or other stone or material compatible with its purpose, a slidable regulating gate d, means for raising and lowering the bottom Z) to suit the same to different conditions, and means for adjusting and adjustably fixing the slidable gate to determine the width of the opening e between said gate and the contiguous end of the retarding or separating slab c.

The means for adjusting or raising and lowering the bottom b may be and preferably is made up of a pivot shaft f carrying an adjusting 'cam g, disposed below the bottom at a suit-able point to provide for the raising and lowering of the same, and a hand lever z fixed on the shaft f and through posed in slots y' in the chute sides a and loosely engaged by the lower slotted ends 7c ofthe swinging adjusting links l, connected by a cross-rod m, disposed above the chute, and one of which links is extended to form a convenient handle a, designed to be manipulated to slide the gate to a proper, predetermined position. The links l, the rod m and the handle n constitute a swinging leverframe for adjusting the regulating gate, and to provide for the movement of said frame and hold it adjustably fixed, there is associated with the same a pair of pivot-bars p. The bars 7 9 are pivotally mounted at one end, as at g, upon the sides of the chute, and at their other ends are provided with longitudinally-disposed slots 7, receiving the combined pivot and fastening bolt-s s, passed through the adjusting-links Z. By loosening vthe bolts s almost any desired adjustment of the regulating gate may be accomplished, after which the tightening of the bolt `serves to hold the gate fast in the adjusted position.

It .will be understood from the foregoing description of one chute and its appurtenances, which description applies to each and all of the chutes and the appurtenances thereof, that in operation the coal and some of the slate connningled therewith jumps across Athe opening e and lpasses from the regulating gate CZ of one chute to the bottom Z) of the next lower chute, but by the time the lowermost regulating gate (l of the series is reached a complete and thorough separation will be effected, with the result that coal alone will be discharged from that gate 'into any elected device placed to receive it.

Combined with each of the chutes described are oppositely moving checks A and Bda. e., checks one of which is disposed in the path of the coal and slate when the other is out of said path, and vice versa. The said checks may be of any description consonant with the purpose of my invention and may be arranged in any approved manner relative to the chute bottom b without involving departure from the spirit of my said invention as defined in the claims appended hereto. I prefer, however, to make the checks in the form of gates and to suitably guide the same through openings in the chute bottom b. I would also have it understood at this point that without affecting my claimed invention any suitable means may be employed for synchronously moving the checks A and B into and out of the path of the coal, respectively, and vice versa; also, that the said moving means may be located in any desired manner relative to the series of chutes-z'. e., either above or below the same as circumstances dictate. As illustrated the said means for moving or operating the plurality of pairs of checks A and B consists of transverse rock-shafts C, corresponding in number to the pairs of checks, and having oppositely directed arms D and E to which the checks A and B are connected, rockers J on shafts C and links K, connecting said rockers together, affording means whereby all of the shafts C may be simultaneously rocked by a crank disk M fixed on a suitably driven shaft N through the medium of an abutment Q. It will be manifest from this that when the shaft N is rotated by any desired means, the several shafts C will be oscillated; and it will also be manifest that the oscillation of the shafts C will be attended by up and down movements of the checks A and B so that first one check and then the other check of each pair of checks will be in the path of the coal through the chutes. From this it follows that incidental to the operation of the apparatus the checks A operate to restrain the coal, etc., while the checks B are permitting preceding bodies of coal, etc., to pass over the retarding or separating slabs c, and then subsequent to the feed of the said preceding bodies of coal, etc., the checks B move upwardly through the bottom of the chute and the checks A downwardly to permit bodies of coal, etc., to assume positions between the two checks of each pair.

The above described checking of the coal and slate is highly advantageous inasmuch -as it assures sliding of all of the pieces from the beginning to the end of the passage of the material through the apparatus, and in that way contributes materially to and very appreciably promotes the proper and thorough separation of the slate from the coal.

During the passage of the material through the apparatus in the manner described some of the pieces of slate, that is the heavier pieces, will have a tendency to lag on the retarding or separating slabs c and will not like the lighter pieces of slate jump the openings between certain of the slabs c and the regulating gates adjacent thereto. To meet this condition and get rid of the heavy pieces of slate I prefer to employ division plates R in the openings e; the said plates being adjusted up and down by cams g on pivot shafts f having levers h, said cams wiping against the lower edges of the plates R. The plates R are so arranged relative to their respective openings e that the heavier particles of slate will first be separated from the coal, and then the lighter particles of slate, until when the lowermost regulating gate CZ is reached the slate will be entirely eliminated from the coal.

In addition to the practical advantages hereinbefore ascribed to my novel apparatus, it will be noted that the apparatus is simple and inexpensive in comparison with its efficiency and utility, and that all of its parts are well adapt-ed to withstand the usage to which apparatus lof corresponding character is ordinarily subjected.

I have entered into a detailed description of the present and preferred embodiment of my invention in order to impart a definite understanding of the said embodiment in all of its details, but it will be understood that in the future practice of the invention various changes or modications may be made Without departing from the spirit or scope of 'the invention as defined in my claims appended.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In slate picking apparatus, the combination with a chute having an opening for the discharge of slate, of means arranged in advance of said opening for checking and then releasing the material, and an upwardly and rearwardly inclined division plate arranged in the opening in spaced relation to the end walls thereof to direct the heavier slate downwardly through the opening.

2. In an apparatus for the purpose described, inclined chute means having openings at intervals, retarding means in advance of the openings, regulating gates beyond the openings, division plates in the openings spaced from the upper walls thereo and oppositely moving devices in advance of each retarding means for checking a body of material and then releasing said body and segregating it from following material.

3. In an apparatus for the purpose described, inclined chute means having openings at intervals, retarding means in advance of the openings, regulating gates beyond the openings, adjustable division plates in the openings spaced from the upper and lower walls thereof, m-eans for adjusting and adjustably fixing said plates, and means in advance of each retarding means for checking a body of material and then releasing said body and segregating it from following material.

4. In an apparatus for the purpose described, the combination of chute-like means having openings at intervals and retarding means in advance of each opening, regulating gat-es on the opposite sides of the openings with reference to the retarding means, division plates in the openings and spaced from the end walls thereof, oppositely moving gates arranged in front of each retarding means, and means for syn chronously moving the gates in series.

5. In an apparatus for picking slate, the combination with a chute having a bottom, of a regulating plate spaced apart from said bottom, and a division plate located in the space between the regulating plate and the bottom and spaced from both.

6. In an apparatus for picking slate, the combination with a chute having a. bottom, of a regulating plate spaced apart from said bottom, and an upstanding division plate located in the space between the regulating plate and the bottom and spaced from the latter, and means for adjusting said division plate to ditllerent desired positions.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK H. EMERY.

I/Vtnesses:

TI-Ios. R. HUGHES, JUSTIN S. LoTT. 

